My latest obsession is 3-dimensional English Paper Piecing. I made a small stuffed ball toy with all pentagons a few years ago that I didn’t love. I wanted to try a soccer ball made with hexagons and pentagons and found some information online. Using instructions from Karen Brown at Just Get It Done Quilts, I printed some templates and got to stitching.
I had used five different orange prints for the first ball and tried to distribute the patterns evenly. It was close, but not perfect. It was a puzzle I had to solve! Using bits of numbered tape, I created a map so that each print would only appear once in each rosette (surrounding the pentagons).
My quilty friends can relate to my brain’s need for symmetry and balance, so I am offering the map here. Page one of the PDF is the placement guide. Page two includes templates for 3/4″ hexagons and pentagons to make a 4″ diameter ball. Print page two on medium weight card stock. If you don’t have any card stock handy, print on regular paper and then adhere a sheet of freezer paper to the back with a hot dry iron. This hack will give you the weight you need. Then cut out the templates and start EPP-ing.
I hope you enjoy making soccer balls as much as I do. My next one might be totally scrappy in novelty prints. It could be an “I Spy” ball for my grandsons. The prints I have on hand will determine which size hexagon will work best. Of course, if I use 20 different prints, I won’t need my map!
Click here to download the free pattern: EPP-soccer-ball-pattern
